Wimbish survived all the men onstage at King’s 1958 address at the Prince Hall Masonic Temple, which she helped organize in Columbus. Bomb threats poured in when King’s sole trip to the western Georgia city was announced. A black woman’s home was bombed after the speech.

A lauded public speaker and author, Wimbish was the first female historian of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia, among other firsts. She received the highest honor given to a Georgia citizen, the Goodwill Ambassador Award.